INFLUENCE OF FINANCIAL RESOURCES ON SERVICE DELIVERY AT NATIONAL YOUTH SERVICE, KERIO VALLEY, KENYA

This study examined the influence of financial resources on service delivery at the National Youth Service (NYS) Kerio Valley, Kenya, a critical institution for youth training and community development facing challenges due to inefficient financial resource management. Grounded in the Financial Resource Dependence Theory, a causal research design was adopted to assess the effect of budgeting processes, expenditure management, and financial sustainability on client satisfaction, timeliness, and service quality. Data was collected from 166 of 205 targeted NYS employees (80.98% response rate) using stratified random sampling and structured Likert-scale questionnaires, analyzed with SPSS Version 29 through descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and simple linear regression. Findings revealed low perceptions of financial resource management (Mean=2.36, SD=1.223), with significant gaps in return-on-investment evaluation (Mean=2.25, SD=1.208), yet strong service delivery outcomes (Mean=3.84, SD=1.055), indicating organizational resilience. A strong positive correlation (r=0.802, p<0.05) and significant regression coefficient (B=0.322, p=0.001) confirmed that financial resources significantly enhance service delivery, leading to the rejection of the null hypothesis. The study concludes that while financial resource management is inadequate, improvements in budgeting, expenditure control, and sustainability can significantly boost service outcomes. Recommendations include adopting participatory budgeting, implementing digital expenditure tracking, conducting regular financial audits, and enhancing staff training to ensure efficient resource use and sustained service delivery in a resource-constrained semi-arid context. Keywords: Financial Resources, Service Delivery, Budgeting Processes, Expenditure Management, Financial Sustainability.